Unexpected
by Kanna37
Summary: Kagome, once more catching Inuyasha with Kikyou, decides that it's time to let go of any softer feelings she has for him.  Miroku decides to help her out with that, and slowly draws her affections to himself.  Gift-fic for r0o. Rating is for language.


**Unexpected**

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Inuyasha.

~oOo~

A/N: Normally, I wouldn't write a story with this pairing, simply because I write Kagome with one of the three Inu's – Inupapa, Inuyasha, or Sesshoumaru. But... I can deal with the pairing of Miroku/Kagome if it's written well. If I'd been asked to write Kagome/Koga or some such thing, I'd have had to decline, since I really don't care much for Koga. But since r0o has asked me, for the second time, to write a Miroku/Kagome, I decided I'd give it a try. This one-shot is set early in the series, between when he joins the group, and when Sango comes in.

R0ozilla, this one's for you!

~oOo~

Kagome sat staring out into the darkened forest, mind lost in what she'd just seen.

Inuyasha with Kikyou, embracing her tenderly and reiterating his promise to go to hell with her.

She'd watched for a few minutes and then slipped away, knowing that it was time to do some very serious thinking.

For a while now she'd had some rather tender feelings for the hanyou she'd been traveling with, and that had been fine – until Urasue had created the clay golem of Kikyou, and then things had gone downhill quick, fast, and in a hurry.

It wasn't hard to see that now that Kikyou was roaming the earth again Inuyasha would never return her own soft feelings.

So... the bottom line was that she had a choice. While it would hurt, she could begin to force herself to get past those feelings and concentrate solely on her duties here in the past... or she could continue to let those feelings deepen and then have her heart irreparably broken when the inevitable happened and Inuyasha chose to go with Kikyou.

Being a very practical minded young woman Kagome wrestled with her heart, determined to work her way through the mess she would inevitably end up with if she didn't reign in her emotions.

As lost in her thoughts as she was she completely missed the presence of their newest companion, the lecherous monk, Miroku - until he sat beside her and softly asked her what was wrong.

Blinking in surprise, she glanced at him for a moment and then looked down at her lap, twisting her fingers in her skirt. Despite her feelings for Inuyasha, she had to admit she was unexpectedly growing quite fond of Miroku, despite his – in her opinion, anyway – rather exaggerated lechery, and he certainly was very handsome with his dark hair and violet eyes, and lean, trim, but strong body.

A slight blush washing across her cheeks, she sighed after a moment as she considered what he'd asked. "I... I was just thinking," she said finally.

"About...?" he encouraged, settling his shakujo against his shoulder as the rings on it tinkled merrily.

"Oh, well... you know... about Inuyasha and Kikyou."

Miroku nodded as he looked over at her, then back out into the darkness under the trees. "I see. And what are your thoughts, may I ask?"

Sighing, she shrugged her shoulders and twisted her fingers even more into her skirt. "That I shouldn't let my feelings for him pull me down. He's devoted to Kikyou, and there's no room for me in his heart. If I keep hoping, though, and letting my feelings linger on him I'm only going to get my heart broken."

Surprised at her clear sight in such a matter, as most women were unable to set aside their emotions enough to think so clearly about such a sensitive subject, he smiled at her after a moment and patted her on the arm.

"I think that you are a very wise young woman, Kagome-sama. And after all, there are plenty of worthy men out there that would be devoted to you if you were only to look." His words had a peculiar intensity to them and Kagome glanced over at him, a slight frown in her eyes as she wondered why. After a moment though, she shrugged those thoughts away and smiled a little at the monk. "Thanks, Miroku-sama," she said, grateful for his company though she hadn't sought it.

He bowed his head and smiled back at her, and just like that the atmosphere was lightened, and within a short time Kagome was laughing at a story he was telling her as he led her back to camp.

She spent the rest of the evening laughing and talking to Miroku, though quietly so as not to wake the sleeping Shippo, and completely forgot the missing hanyou until he wandered back into camp late in the night.

He wasn't best pleased to see how close she was sitting to the monk nor how happy she seemed to be, and demanded that she go to sleep so she didn't complain about being tired the next morning. She simply sat him and then continued in her conversation with Miroku, ignoring Inuyasha's grouching completely for the rest of the night.

~oOo~

For the next two months Miroku watched Kagome closely even as he monopolized her attention as much as possible, trying to help wean her away from the irritable hanyou they traveled with. It appeared to be working, too – which was pissing Inuyasha off. The monk knew it was only a matter of time until the hanyou confronted him on it... but he was ready.

Some might say that the monk's actions were self-serving, since he'd developed a very large interest in the girl from another world that carried so much reiki yet had no clue how to wield it. She was very attractive, and he'd never come across another person in all his wanderings that cared so damn much about everyone.

He sighed as he looked down at his cursed hand – it was the only reason he'd not yet alerted the girl to his interest in her. If he didn't manage to find and destroy Naraku before the wind tunnel broke open, then his feelings towards her would be a moot point.

Thoughts heavy and sad, Miroku was for once quiet and morose and Kagome watched him, worried yet not sure what to do about it. She really didn't want to bring anything up in front of Inuyasha, who'd been extra irritable lately. At this point she was almost _praying_ for Kikyou to show up so he'd go off and leave her and Miroku alone so she could coax him into telling her what was on his mind.

Later that evening, as they made camp and an unusually tired out Shippo fell asleep as soon as dinner was done, Kagome glanced over at Miroku with a frown and then sighed and looked over at Inuyasha, his red fire rat easily visible in the treetops as he settled in for the night. It didn't seem as though her prayers were going to be answered...

Finally giving up for the evening on any alone time with a still subdued Miroku, Kagome rolled herself up in her sleeping bag and drifted unhappily off to sleep, not noting the heavy silence that draped the camp as she dozed off.

Once she was deeply asleep Inuyasha leaped down from his branch and cornered Miroku. Grabbing him by his robes he dragged him out of camp, and Miroku didn't even fight him, simply waiting until the hanyou stopped and let go to brush himself off and straighten his robes. After a tense moment he looked up at the hanyou, one dark brow cocked mockingly.

Inuyasha wasted no time, going straight to the point. "Stay the fuck away from Kagome, _monk_, or I'll windscar your ass into the ground."

"And what gives you the right to make such decisions, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked calmly enough. "You are not her husband, and she is of age to make up her own mind. She has not asked me to leave her alone, so I will not."

A deep growl pierced the stillness of the forest as Inuyasha's eyes flashed red and his hands clenched tightly, curling into fists and splashing garish red streaks on the ground as he cut into his own skin. "Bastard! Kagome's off limits, I told you that once before, didn't I? Don't make me kill you, Miroku," he said warningly, his voice deepening as his youkai blood fought for dominance.

"Again, it is no business of yours what Kagome and I choose to do," Miroku reiterated, eyes narrowing. "You are bound to Kikyou-sama, meaning you cannot also have Kagome-sama. Are you truly so selfish that you would wish to condemn her to a broken heart when you leave this earth to follow Kikyou-sama to hell?" he asked harshly, anger darkening his normally pleasing low tenor. "Kagome-sama deserves better than that."

Desperately trying to control himself Inuyasha snarled at Miroku and then turned away, not wanting to look at the monk whose words were making guilt tighten angry hands around his heart. "Keh! You're right, Miroku – and she certainly deserves better than a monk that can't keep his hands to _himself_... and one who might even die because of the curse one of those hands carries."

Miroku laughed sarcastically. "An easy excuse, Inuyasha. The truth is you still want your onigiri and to eat them, too. You want Kikyou-sama... but you also want Kagome-sama on the side, and because of that selfish desire you keep stringing her along. You can't have them both-" he broke off as a silvery, almost ghostly light drifted by and then cast an ironic look at the hanyou, "-and your promise is to Kikyou-sama. That means that Kagome-sama is free to choose someone else. And_ if _she chooses me, I will gladly devote myself to her and _only_ her. Can you promise the girl the same? I think not." With that he turned on his heel and left a fuming half-demon to find his way to his undead love.

_I certainly got the better end of that deal, _he thought as he walked slowly back towards the camp. _Though she hasn't chosen me... and with this curse I'm not even sure it would be fair to her to let her make such a choice were she so inclined, _he sighed to himself.

As he walked back into the firelight he looked over at the sleeping Kagome, smiling slightly at her angelic features lit fitfully by the fire and wished that Kikyou's shinidamachu had shown up earlier, so they could have spent some time just talking with no Inuyasha to interrupt.

Shrugging his shoulders lightly, he settled into a spot close to her so he could watch her sleep, and after a while the peace of the night got to him and he drifted off, sleeping lightly as he tended to do when on the road.

Kagome wasn't sure at first what woke her up, but she sat up groggily, rubbing her eyes and glancing at the now low fire. A pained groan hit her ears then and she turned to look at Miroku, her eyes wide as worry kicked in. He was slumped against a tree behind her, holding his cursed hand and moaning while yet still asleep.

Eyes darkening further as the worry deepened she slid from her sleeping bag, careful not to wake Shippo and then moved quickly to Miroku's side, shaking his shoulder lightly, her brow furrowed.

"Miroku-kun?" she whispered, using the name for him that she had only recently begun to use, and only when they were alone. She glanced around quickly to make sure they really were alone and was relieved to find Inuyasha gone, then looked back down at the monk who was now frowning in his sleep, and shook him a little harder. "Miroku-kun," she said again, a bit louder.

This time it was enough, and with another pained groan he opened his eyes slowly, blinking at her in confusion. Not yet quite awake fully and thinking this was all part of his dream, he pulled her into his arms and leaned down to kiss her, taking her lips over and deepening the kiss quite happily as she gasped in shocked surprise.

Miroku woke from his daze slowly, but once he realized what he was doing and that he most certainly was awake and really kissing Kagome, he froze – until he realized that the girl was kissing him back, and then he lost all sense and pulled her into his lap, sweeping in and taking over every part of her mouth.

_So sweet, _was his last thought, his senses completely focused on the girl in his arms.

After several long moments Kagome squirmed away, panting and in need of air. Flushed, eyes dilated, she looked absolutely beautiful to Miroku in that moment and he raised a hand to caress her cheek as he leaned his head against hers.

"Kagome," he whispered. He swallowed and closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them again and meeting her hesitant gaze. "I apologize for startling you."

She huffed out a soft laugh. "But not for kissing me, hm?"

He chuckled at that. "No, because that would most definitely be a lie. I am not at all sorry for kissing you, and would dearly love to do it again. But the question must be asked – why were you hovering over me when I woke?"

At that her expression once more morphed into concern, and she sat back in his lap. "You were groaning in your sleep and clutching your hand – I was worried that something was wrong," she said, frowning.

At that reminder of his earlier worries about his hand and his feelings for Kagome his face fell, and he looked down at the curse in his hand that had always destroyed any chance he had for a happy life. He couldn't figure out what to say, and so stayed silent.

But Kagome wasn't having any of that. "Talk to me, Miroku," she whispered, sadness in her eyes as she ducked her head trying to get him to look at her. "Or have I been misreading things, and you don't... care about me?"

Her voice was pained and strained with embarrassment, and Miroku just couldn't let her believe such a thing. He reached out with a sigh and pulled her back into his lap, pressing her head to his chest and running gentle fingers through her silky hair.

"No, Kagome," he finally said in a low tone. "You haven't been mistaken. I've had feelings for you for some time. But... I don't feel I have the right to ask you to return said emotions – not with this three-times damned hole in my hand. Any day could be my last, and I would not want to leave you behind to grieve."

He was totally startled when the girl in question pulled back and smacked him in the chest, an irate glare fixed on him. "Baka! Did you forget I'm chasing Naraku, too? With as many fights as we get in any day could be _my_ last, as well! Does that make you want to stay away from me?"

He blinked at her, caught completely off-guard by that statement and following question. _She's right..._ "No," he said slowly, "you are absolutely right. It doesn't. I would gladly take any amount of time we have together for myself... if you are willing, Kagome. I am sorry for not thinking of that before."

She huffed at him, but her glare died away slowly and she said, "Good. Don't do it again. I can make my own decisions, so next time instead of moping around about it just ask me."

That brought a chuckle from him as he remembered his little discussion with Inuyasha earlier in the evening, when he'd basically told the hanyou the same thing. _I was certainly not being too bright, forgetting my own words._

"What's funny now?" she asked as she cuddled back up to him, smiling as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I was simply remembering a discussion with Inuyasha earlier. He pulled me aside after you fell asleep and warned me away from you. He was quite angry. I told him the same thing... that you could make your own choices."

She growled at that, scowling. "Huh. Well, he can just go take a long walk off a short pier. He chose Kikyou, and that left me free to make my own decision on who I wanted to be with. And I have," she declared firmly. "So there."

Miroku couldn't help but smile at her determined words, and that smile stayed with him... even as they both fell asleep cuddled together under the tree.

When Inuyasha returned to camp early the next morning, he realized that his warning to Miroku had come too late...

He'd already lost Kagome.

For once though, being painfully honest with himself if no one else, he could admit that Miroku's earlier words to him were true.

He'd chosen Kikyou, no matter the reason, and he couldn't have them both.

With a bittersweet sigh he stared at them for a moment, and then jumped into his own tree.

_If he really loves her and can stay faithful to her... I won't say anything._

_But if he hurts her..._

He needn't have worried. Miroku was completely faithful, and when it came time for Inuyasha to follow Kikyou to hell as he'd promised he was relieved to leave her in capable hands.

Miroku would protect her...

She would never be alone, and she would always be happy.

That was just as it should be.


End file.
